Rotten on the Inside
by Nyssa Bloodthorn
Summary: Rewritten Allegra Casteel thought she was ordinary. Until a group of strangers show up and a dark secret from her past unearths itself, threating not only to destroy her, but the rest of the world with her.
1. Part 1

Title: Rotten on the Inside  
  
Author: Nyssa Bloodthorn  
  
Email: lostsouls912@hotmail.com  
  
Spoilers: Night World, all books  
  
Disclaimers: Night World and its recognised characters is the property of LJ Smith, I'm just borrowing it for fun. The story and everything else belongs to me.  
  
Rating: pg-13  
  
Warnings: some language, some violence, and mild sexual references later on.  
  
Summary: Allegra Casteel thought her life was pretty ordinary, until a group of strange people show up in her small town, along with a hit man trying to kill her, and secrets from her past threatening to destroy her and the rest of the world.  
  
Notes: I'd be extremely grateful for constructive criticism and feedback. This fic has been rewritten, mainly cause the switching from past to present in each part was getting confusing so hopefully the plot will now flow more and make sense :)  
  
Part 1  
  
How they planned on pulling this off was beyond Celeste. Did they really think that posing as various new people would fool anyone for long. Particularly with Garret and Corbin, who despised each other. Thierry had worked some miracle and managed to convince them to work together.  
  
"I still think they're going to end up slaughtering each other before the week is out," Novalynne commented.  
  
Even in a limo the ride to the small Midwestern town they were travelling to was a long journey from Vegas. There were no planes that went anywhere near the place, and with the time differences and flight changes they would have had to make, it turned out that it would take longer to drive than it would to fly.  
  
Celeste sat back against the limo's comfy leather seats, nodding in agreement. "This whole plan is utterly insane. Humans aren't stupid, and I'm pretty certain there's no such thing as a town in the U.S. without a single Night Person.   
  
Celeste knew that was a stretch but there was always just the possibility of one hiding under a human name that could go and report them to the Council. If the Night World Council heard what they were up to, then everything would go to hell.  
  
"This girl has absolutely no clue about who her family really is, does she?" Novalynne's voice was soft.   
  
Celeste shook her head. "We don't even know how powerful she's going to be."  
  
"Or how she's going to react." Celeste shook her head, almost sadly as she brushed a strand of blonde hair behind her right ear. "What would you do if you found out you were the daughter of the last dragon?"  
  
They lapsed into silence trying to contemplate the thoughts of a girl who was about to have her life torn apart.  
  
* * * 


	2. Part 2

Part 2  
  
She should have known she was making a dreadful mistake. Galaxia hadn't even thought of that. Now, alone in her ostentatious mansion, she was having second thoughts. With the impending millennium battle, she was now certain it would be imperative to bring her daughter home.  
  
Galaxia wandered around the expensively decorated large rooms of the ground floor, designer furniture mixed with ancient antiques. It was all very well having endless money and a large home and being the last existing dragon (as far as she was aware) but what was the point, when she had no one to share her fortune with?  
  
Other Night People weren't supposed to know she existed. She sighed, wandering out into the patio, staring at the large pool, lit by bright yellow lights built into the wall under the water.  
  
A starless night blacked out the sky, thick clouds hung in the wall with the smell of an incoming storm.   
  
Part of Galaxia's wealth had been accumulated by the fact she was supposed to stay hidden, to keep her identity a secret. Galaxia had had enough of hiding. Her daughter was the last tie she had to this modern world. The girl's father had mysteriously 'disappeared' shortly after the birth.  
  
"Ma'am?" Her musings were interrupted by the voice of her maid, Tianette, a pretty French girl.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Monsieur Gateway has arrived. He is in the bar enjoying a martini."  
  
Galaxia wandered back through the mansion, pausing in front of an enormous gold framed mirror, hanging on the wall. "Do I look okay?" she asked.  
  
She was depressed in a white Prada jacket with black pinstripes and a maroon skirt, her feet were bare, her toes manicured, polished a dark pink. Her honey blonde hair fell to her hair in natural curls.  
  
"You look fabulous," Tianette answered, smiling.  
  
Galaxia nodded. She knew she could count on Tianette to tell her the truth about her appearance. If she looked terrible, Tianette would never let her out her room.  
  
Julius Gateway sat at the bar in her private cocktail room, dressed rather sloppily in a black t-shirt and baggy blue jeans. His hair was a shade somewhere between brown and blond, cropped close to his head. A cigarette was in one hand, a martini glass in the other. He was probably no older than twenty.  
  
"You're the man from the Council?"  
  
"Yes," he said, eyeing her back. He spoke with a British accent. "You asked for a reliable council agent who could find your lost daughter., This is what I have so far." He snuffed out the cigarette in a glass ash tray on the bar and swigged the last of his drink, handing her a manila folder.  
  
Galaxia felt her breath catch in her throat. She opened the folder and looked at the picture staring back of her. Her daughter had an oval shaped face, and skin that looked as smooth as porcelain. Her eyes were a startling amber, her hair raven black, like her father's had been. "Bring Allegra back to me," she whispered.  
  
* * * 


	3. Part 3

Part 3  
  
"Should I wear the pink Channel or the blue Dior? Allegra Casteel pondered in front of her walk in closet, pulling out the two dresses that still had the tags from the Madison Avenue boutiques she'd purchased them in the previous weekend on a trip to New York to check out the dorms she'd be living in next year. In the City that Never Slept who could resist a little shopping Spree?  
  
"Whatever, there are a lot more important things to worry about than what colour prom dress to be wearing," her friend Chloe said, sat at the dressing table.  
  
On that Saturday afternoon, there didn't seem to be anything better to do than picking a prom dress. Prom was only three weeks. They had been hanging out in her room for several hours now, it was about time the topic changed to something important, they'd discussed graduation so many times, Allegra was sick of the subject, and what else was more important in a high school seniors life, than her last prom?   
  
Chloe herself was in charge of the decorating committee, she /should/ be concerned her dress looked good.  
  
"Since when?" Allegra snorted, wandering over to the state-of-the-art stereo system and changing the CD in the player.   
  
"Since I just found out this morning that two cousins I've never heard of are going to be living at my house from tomorrow morning," Chloe answered.  
  
"I didn't know you had any cousins," Allegra said, more interested now. New people always created a stir in their small town, since there were really any.  
  
"Neither did I," Chloe said moodily. She stared at her reflection in the mirror on the dressing table, at her flawless caramel coloured skin, almond shaped blue eyes, sharp nose, high cheekbones. Her shoulder length hair at the moment was dyed a platinum blond. Chloe never kept her hair colours more than two weeks. By prom it would probably be something different. Chloe had been threatening green for some time now. Despite that, she was extremely pretty, and easily one of the most popular girls in school. "My mom just mentioned at breakfast about these cousins. One's called Celeste Treeshaw, who's my mom's older sister's daughter, and Novalynne Redfern, who's Mom's younger sister's daughter."  
  
"Could be more exciting than you thing," Allegra offered, more than a little disappointed that Chloe's cousins weren't guys. "Apart from that prom is the only interesting thing we've got around here."  
  
The phone was ringing. Allegra reached out and pressed the button for speaker phone. "Guess who's coming to stay with me for the next few weeks," the voice of her friend Dharma Harman bragged.  
  
Allegra looked over at Chloe, who just smiled and shrugged. "Who?" Allegra asked.  
  
"My cousin Garret Redfern."  
  
"He's your cousin," Allegra pointed out at the smug dreaminess in Dharma's voice.   
  
She had met Garret a few times, remembering him to be an unconventionally attractive boy with long messy hair, odd clothing, but a natural charisma and charm.   
  
"I know, I know," Dharma said dismissively. "He's bringing his friend Corbin, too. You remember him? He came to Irena's party a few Saturday s ago?"  
  
Allegra looked at Chloe again. Chloe shook her head. Allegra didn't remember the guy either. "Not really."  
  
"Oh." Dharma sounded disappointed. "Well, they're both transferring to our school and graduating with us. I'll see you Monday."  
  
"Whatever." Allegra hung up.   
  
Chloe was frowning. "My cousins are doing that too."  
  
"That's weird...hey didn't you say one of your cousins is a Redfern, maybe they're related to Dharma's cousin."  
  
New people coming were rare enough. A whole group of mysterious 'cousins' showing up was more than a little suspicious. Especially two with the same surname. "What's going on?" Allegra asked.  
  
Chloe shook her head. "I'll let you know as soon as I do."  
  
* * * 


End file.
